About 20 fourth-year students from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center’s School of Medicine found out about their first step into the future Friday during Match Day.
Match Day is when medical students nationwide open their envelopes at a designated time to find out where they have been accepted to do their residency.
The event was held at the Odessa Marriott Hotel & Conference Center.
Regional Dean Dr. Timothy Benton has worked with all the students and helped advise them in their career path.
“I think they’re a fantastic group. They did a lot in advancing, I think, the reputation of the Permian Basin for the School of Medicine. We have a very accomplished group, so we’re really proud of it,” Benton said.
He added that he thinks they will be successful.
“It’s always successful when all of them match in residency and they chose challenging residency programs, sometimes, to get into so that speaks very highly (of them),” Benton said.
Beth Green won’t have to travel far for her residency. She was matched to Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Odessa.
A nontraditional student, Green said she is excited about being matched locally.
“I’m actually in a special family medicine program that Texas Tech has where I am graduating after my third year. I knew from the start that I would be here in Odessa. I’m the only one in the room who wasn’t surprised by their location and I’m very excited to be here,” Green added.
She said the program has prepared her well for her residency and she enjoyed it.
“The people in the program have been very nice and very supportive,” Green added.
Having lived in Abilene for 21 years, she went to medical school after her children were grown. Her son became a doctor before she did and her daughter is a lawyer.
“After we got them settled, it was time for me to chase my dreams,” Green said.
In college, she thought she could go into research; she spent time working at home so she could be home when her children were small.
She taught high school science in Abilene and decided there was something else she wanted to do and started this process.
Green said she has no regrets about taking on medical school later in life.
“My philosophy is the worst they’re going to do is say no and if they do that’s fine. There’s no reason to stop. Just try it; go for it and see what happens. You never know,” she added.
Patrice Lacey is going to Texas Tech in El Paso to study emergency medicine.
“I am happy I’m matched to El Paso because it gives me an opportunity to practice border health and be exposed to essentially both an American population and a more primarily Hispanic population. Also, they have a refugee population there as well that I will be able to be exposed to,” Lamey said.
Kyle McDaniel was matched to family medicine at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. He noted that this class came in the middle of COVID in July 2020.
“Medical School has never been normal for this class and so to see all of us come together and achieve despite all that we’ve had to go through has been just such an amazing thing to witness throughout these four years,” McDaniel said.
“There’s so many barriers and tests and all sorts of requirements that we have to go through. But all of that is cast aside today. Right now we’re just celebrating and happy to see where we’re going,” he added.
He said he hopes to continue serving underserved communities as he’s done in the Permian Basin and making sure healthcare is accessible to everyone who needs it.
“I have really enjoyed a lot of the experiences that I’ve had not just in the Permian Basin but even in the Big Bend area, going to Marfa, Alpine and Marathon and having great experiences down there. I definitely think that we’re not shutting the door to coming back to the Permian Basin,” McDaniel said.
McDaniel, who is from Houston, said anyone who is considering the health professions, it’s open to them.
“Please, we need more physicians. We need more nurses. We need more people who are passionate about this work. For anyone who really has a passion for helping others, for seeing people grow, definitely health professions is the field for you and there are so many resources out there that are available; all it takes is just one click,” he added.
McDaniel said he loved the program in Odessa.
“We have a choice whenever we complete medical (school) at Texas Tech to go to one of four different places, two of them being in Lubbock, one in Amarillo and one down here in the Permian Basin. I think the magic of being down here in the Permian Basin is that there’s a smaller class size so we get to know each other better. There’s also more hands-on experience that you get in the different rotations, whether that be surgery or obstetrics and gynecology. The people down here just have such a passion for who they serve. I can’t speak to what it’s like in Lubbock and Amarillo, but I do know that the people down here are so passionate about their community. That’s so vital to see people who genuinely enjoy the work that they’re doing, and enjoy helping others achieve whatever they want to achieve,” he added.
“That’s certainly been my experience and I think I can speak for a lot of my classmates …,” McDaniel said.
Dakota Tolleson is going into family medicine at Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center in Fort Worth. She is from Wichita Falls.
“I’ve always just been really passionate about women’s health care. Throughout my clinical rotations down here and in the Permian Basin I really got to work with some really great doctors and provide some really good care and get to do a little bit of surgery, a little bit of clinic and build lifelong relationships with patients, which I’m really excited about,” Tolleson said.
She added that she had a great time in the program in Odessa.
“I was initially a little hesitant moving down to the Permian Basin. I know it’s a little further from my family, a little further from home. But I think this honestly is the best thing that has ever happened to me coming to this campus. It’s such a tight-knit community. The people here are great. I had an opportunity to dive in and really build connections. I couldn’t have asked for a better place to learn medicine,” Tolleson said.
She said the process is hard and a lot of work. There were times when she got discouraged the first two years when she was studying in her apartment during COVID lockdown.
“I genuinely can’t imagine myself doing anything but OBGYN for the rest of my life. I’m so excited. I cried when I opened my envelope today. If it’s something that you’re passionate about, it is one of the most rewarding careers in the world and you should not let anybody tell you that you can’t do it,” Tolleson said.
